CLAT Exam Pattern 2025 : Exam Mode, Section-Wise Question Distribution & Negative Marking Explained

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) is expected to announce the CLAT 2026 exam pattern along with the official CLAT 2026 notification. For the 2024 exam, the Consortium had made some changes to the exam format. However, no such changes were made for CLAT 2025, and it’s likely that the 2026 pattern will follow the same structure.

As per the current format, the CLAT question paper consists of 120 questions divided across five key sections: English Language, Current Affairs (including General Knowledge), Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Quantitative Techniques.

The exam pattern outlines essential details such as the exam mode, number of questions, marking scheme, and more. It’s strongly recommended that candidates familiarize themselves with the CLAT 2026 exam pattern well in advance to be fully prepared. Understanding the pattern is a crucial part of effective preparation.

Below, we’ll break down all the important aspects of the CLAT 2026 pattern—including section-wise weightage, structure of the paper, time management tips for each section, and the marking criteria.

CLAT Exam Pattern 2026 - Key Features

If you're planning to appear for CLAT 2026, here's some important news—the Consortium of NLUs has officially released the exam pattern. Understanding the structure of the exam is the first step toward effective preparation.

Here’s a breakdown of the CLAT 2026 exam format:

Passage-Based Questions: Most of the sections in CLAT 2026 will feature questions based on reading passages—except the Quantitative Techniques section.
- The English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, and Legal Reasoning sections will include passages of around 450 words.
- The Logical Reasoning section will have shorter passages, about 350 words long.
  Each passage will be followed by several questions aimed at testing your comprehension and reasoning abilities.
Quantitative Techniques Section: This section will include sets of short facts, numerical data, graphs, or pictorial representations. You’ll be expected to analyze the information and calculate answers based on the data provided. This part leans on Class 10-level math skills.
Number of Questions & Marking Scheme:
- The exam will consist of 120 multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
- Each correct answer will fetch 1 mark.
- 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
- The paper is worth a total of 120 marks.
Exam Difficulty Level:
- Overall, the difficulty level of CLAT 2026 will align with the Class 12 curriculum.
- As mentioned earlier, the Quantitative Techniques section will be based on Class 10-level concepts.
Skills Tested: CLAT is designed to evaluate your comprehension, reasoning, and analytical thinking—not your ability to memorize facts. So, instead of rote learning, focus on understanding concepts and practicing how to apply them.

CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Highlights

Here’s a quick overview of the main features of the CLAT 2026 exam pattern, including the types of questions, exam medium, and other important details:

Particulars	CLAT Exam Pattern Highlights
Exam mode	Pen-and-paper exam
Exam duration	Two hours
Test language	English
Type of questions	Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)
Exam subjects	Five (English Language, Current Affairs including General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Techniques)
Total questions	120 MCQs
Maximum marks	120 marks
Marking scheme	+1 for correct answer -0.25 for incorrect answer

CLAT 2026 : Sectional Weightage

The CLAT 2026 question paper for undergraduate admissions will consist of 120 multiple-choice questions, each based on a passage. The paper will carry a total of 120 marks. To help candidates plan their preparation more effectively, here’s a look at the section-wise weightage for each part of the exam:

Sections	MCQs per section	Maximum Marks	Approximate Weightage (in %)
English Language	28-32	28-32	18.66 - 21.33
Current Affairs including General Knowledge	35-39	35-39	23.33 - 26
Logical Reasoning	28-32	28-32	18.66 - 21.33
Legal Reasoning	35-39	35-39	23.33 - 26
Quantitative Techniques (Elementry Mathematics up to Class 10)	13-17	13-17	8.66 - 11.33
Total	120	120	100%

CLAT 2026 Exam Pattern: Marking Scheme

The Consortium has confirmed that the CLAT 2026 exam pattern remains unchanged. Along with this, the official marking scheme for the UG course has also been released. Here’s how your answers will be scored:

✅ Correct Answer: You’ll be awarded 1 mark for each correct response.
❌ Incorrect Answer: 0.25 marks will be deducted for every wrong attempt.
⚪ Unattempted Questions: No marks will be added or deducted for questions left blank.